My name is James Hotchkiss. Most people just call me Jamie.
I have a degree in Physical Geography with added studies in Geology.
I have twenty years experience as a public school teacher.
In my tenure as a teacher, I have achieved a Master's Degree in Environmental Studies with emphasis on restoration ecology. Restoration Ecology is close to the ideals of Permaculture in that ecologists look for connections in nature to try to heal the wounds that we have caused. Restoration Ecology is a little more based in scientific methodology; and this is good, but I have found that Permaculture connects all the dots and leads us toward a better future together.
I have helped to heal the land in my work on the Nippersink Creek restoration project in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In this project, we re-meandered the stream to create a restored section of creek that is now flourishing with life.
I have created outdoor education facilities. One is in the courtyard of a local high school and includes planting areas for annual crops, teaching areas complete with recycled plastic seating, and at one time it had a wetland and pond with a solar powered water pump.
In the summer of 2014, I took a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) where I found that all the loose ends of my schooling and experience were drawn together into a better understanding of how we are at odds with our natural world and that reconciling this is possible